Last modified: 2019-04-11 by rob raeside
Keywords: royal yacht squadron | white ensign |
Links: FOTW homepage |
search |
disclaimer and copyright |
write us |
mirrors
See also:
Grand Larousse Encyclopédique du XXe siècle
(1928) says that the Royal Yacht Squadron is the oldest yacht club in the world.
It was founded in 1812 and has its seat in Cowes, Isle of Wight. The King
granted its members the special privilege to use the White Ensign.
Ivan Sache, 25 December 2005
Perrin
(p.137) gives the date of the Yacht Squadron's foundation (in Cowes) as 1815
rather than 1812, and cites the close of the long war with France as the spur.
He goes on to say that the club's first flag (unofficially adopted) was a plain
White Ensign without a Cross of St George in the fly, however, following
official objections this was withdrawn and the club flew an undefaced Red Ensign
between 1821 and 1829. In 1829 a permission to fly the "St George's or White
Ensign" was granted, which the club still flies.
Christopher Southworth, 25 December 2005
RYS may be the world's *first*
yacht club measured socially, but not chronologically. That honour goes to the
Royal Cork Yacht Club in Ireland, founded 1720.
It's not even the oldest in England--that would be, I believe, the
Royal Thames Yacht Club
(1775).
Joe McMillan, 25 December 2005
It is probably more accurate to say that the Royal Yacht Squadron has continuously used the word "yacht" in its name for longer than any other club. The seal of the club has the date 1812, but the club was not formed until 1 June 1815.
image
by Clay Moss, 27 May 2007
Lloyd's Register of Shipping, London [UK], 1961(?) shows the Royal Yacht
Squadron (United Kingdom). Since this publication is from later times, it shows
a St. George white ensign. And it shows the same burgee as on above, except for
one detail: The crown is different. Comparing with
gb-crown.html, I'd say the crown looks like a Tudor Crown. I would even go
so far as to say that that would make sense, for a burgee of a club of that age.
But I'm not an expert on the matter, so I have to ask whether it would still
make sense to use that crown 1961-ish. And then of course, comes the question of
the change to the current style.
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 2
October 2014
image by Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg and Antonio Martins, 2 October
2014
image
by Martin Grieve, 10 July 2007
Perrin
(p.137) reports that the club's first flag (unofficially adopted) was a plain
White Ensign without a Cross of St George in the fly, however, following
official objections this was withdrawn and the club flew an undefaced Red Ensign
between 1821 and 1829. In 1829 a permission to fly the "St George's or White
Ensign" was granted, which the club still flies.
Christopher Southworth, 25 December 2005
image located by Peter Edwards, 18 March 2019
Racing Flag: Rectangle 4:5 (web image). Green field charged with a black
stylized image of Edinburgh Castle on a white disk fimbriated black.
Source:
accessed 1 March 2019,
https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/151574343682736971/
"Bluebottle’s [Dragon
Class] racing career got off to a credible start on 10 July 1948 when she
finished third out of ten starters at the hands of Lt Cdr Crichton. Despite the
absence of her Royal owners, Bluebottle flew the Royal couple’s racing flag
which, for the first season, consisted of Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip’s
cypher in gold on a dark blue background. Prince Philip decided to replace this
design during the winter of 1948/49 because he thought the detail was too
complicated to see at a distance. Therefore, he opted for a dark green flag with
a black heraldic Edinburgh Castle within a white circle."
Source: Johnstone-Bryden,
Richard. The Royal Yacht Britannia: the official history. London: Conway
Maritime Press, 2003.
Peter Edwards, 18 March 2019